scratchyX wrote: ↑Wed May 13, 2020 1:06 pm
Frederick to Alexandria would be logical, as it's all low platform. but there's the pesky matter of the limited access to the First Street Tunnel.
If Union station is ever rebuilt, and the tunnel that the hopscotch bridge removed (you know, which DDOT planned to put the streetcar in, without consulting Amtrak first), then two of the west side tracks could be put in a tunnel. Realistically, Center tracks, Since it sounds like the basement eatery area has been decimated, and likely won't come back. So might as well use the space for increasing capacity, Since WMATA won't be able to, for a long time.
Actually... no. For two reasons:
First, do you realize what is above the First Street rail tunnel? I'll give you the short answer: Congress and the Supreme Court. Yes, those two are RIGHT THERE, directly south of Union Station. And that's a *)
[email protected]#( security hazard there if anyone with enough explosives got in that tunnel and set it off!
Here's the map.
Is it a good idea to drop two central or western-most tracks and tunnel them DIRECTLY UNDER Congress? Homeland Security will be saying "NOPE! NOPE! NOPE! NOPE! NOPE! NOPE! NOPE! NOPE! NOPE!" ad nauseum.
Secondly, decimation? Nope, they cut half of it out (which wasn't being used anyway), cleared out the theater, and put in a Walgreens. And the food court is STILL (pre-pandemic) busy with everything! In effect, you'll be splitting it in half and you'll have to put in elevators and escalators.
So no. You're stuck with the First Street tunnel.
The real question, though, is can you tunnel from the south side of CP-VIRGINIA where the tunnel's tracks meet CSX track, and fly under it into a new tunnel that connects to First Street? Pull *THAT* off, and you got yourself a reason to put more platforms up and have VRE have more service... and MARC to run through.